Gloves

[FlySmyth]

Are there any gloves that will keep your hands warm that wont snag flies all the time?

Thanks.

Ken.

[steelie]

as I'm sure many people on this site have, work great - still snag a fly every now and again, but not near as bad as wool.

[Cary]

The best strategy to keep your hands from getting cold is to go heavy on the head and neckwear. By laying on the scarfs and fleece, I almost never need to wear gloves. This works for your toes, too....

[fishin' idaho]

I have cold hands, even with Cary's suggestion. I used to wear my hunting glomits (mittens that fold back to expose fingerless gloves)- but the line snags on the folded back mitten constantly. I recently picked up some fingerless fleece gloves made by Glacier Glove. They were $9.99 at Fred Meyer compared to $30.00 for Patagucci or Simms. In short, I love them. Warm, and no bulk or velcro to grab a fly line. Cant speak to how long they last, because they are still new, but definitely something to look at.

LAter, josh.

Edit: Check out this link-- http://www.tackletour.com/reviewkenai200.html
Mine dont have the velcro strap to get in the way.

[Sumner Newman]

Everyone is different and some stay warmer than others in identical conditions and with identical clothing. However, there are some absolute principles, which if followed, will keep you warmer or less cold than you'll be if you don't follow these principles. Cary has basically explained the first principle which is that about 70% of the heat loss by your entire body in the cold takes place through your head and neck. Reduce the heat lost through your head by covering it well and keeping it as warm as possible and your entire body will stay warmer or less cold. That's rule no. 1. Rule number two is that in order to stay warm, you must keep your body and the clothes next to it as dry as possible. Wet = cold, dry= warm. Therefore, don't wear cotton stuff, rather wear the polypros and fleece and stuff that will wick moisture away from your body and out. Wear breathable waders - not neoprene. Breathables will keep you warmer - all other things being equal. Rule number three is that you must have some dead air space between your body and the outside layer of clothing for trapping and holding warm air. This is how insulation works. This comes into play most often for fly fishermen with our feet - give your feet plenty of room to move around inside your waders. If you pack everything in there too tight, you'll be colder. That isn't to say that you maybe don't need two or three layers of thick socks; just make sure that with all the layers you still have some dead air space in there.

Now, as to gloves. I've tried both the Glacier Gloves that Josh mentions and the Simms. I used the Glaciers for a number of years and they work fine. So do the Simms. I like 'em both, but think the Simms are probably a bit better overall.

[baetis]

I have used a few different gloves and have had my best luck with any kind of a fingerless gore tex windstopper glove.

[ScottT]

I've been a big fan of winter golf gloves for f/fishing and shooting sports.

About $11-$13 a pair.

The black Foot-Joy gloves are perfect for anything but the coldest/nastiest days. Thin rubberized palms and inner fingers are easy to grip even small flies with & velcro closure on the back - like any golf glove - makes them easy to put on / take off.

Probably work great w/ thumb & forefinger trimmed back if you prefer it. Cheap enough to carry a couple of pair...

Scott

[John Bell]

And if you do not wear gloves in winter... Well this stuff helps a little bit

http://www.crackcreme.com/info.htm

[Trout4x]

I carry a small bottle of lotion in my vest year round, some waters really dry my hands out.

Still trying to find a pair of gloves that I like during the winter.

[robinsoj]

I use the Kenai fingerless gloves all the time (shown in the link above). In fact, it was warm enough a couple of times this winter that I didn't need anything, but I wanted to wear them because I was used to it. The padding is kind of nice when casting. I like them a lot and they work well. I had a version of these gloves that had foldback mittens. The mittens just got in the way. My gloves do have the straps, but they fit so well as they are that I have never used them. They don't get in the way the way they are now (no overlap and exposed velcro).

I forgot about the golf glove thing mentioned last year and again here. I wouldn't mind trying that. Golf gloves under my Kenai's would probably work really well.

As for snagging flies, I put flies on my left hand glove all the time while changing flies or whatever. Just put the fly on loosely and it comes right off. When I get the fly stuck for some reason I just use my forceps. A few strands of wool won't be missed.

In a related topic, I just bought a tumbler for hot drinks for early float tube trips this season. I was thinking why not just put some hot water in it for the stream, too. Just dip the fingers in the hot water when too cold. Instant warmth and a lot cheaper than hand warmers. I imagine the tumbler retains the heat pretty well, but I've never used one. Has anybody here tried this?

[robinsoj]

Hey, that's a cool Web site with the glove review. I found these gloves that look great. Full gloves (not fingerless), waterproof, thin, and hopefully very warm. They have a "Gauntlet" version that would come in handy when releasing fish in the cold stream.

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdanalco1.html

From reading the review, these gloves would have a problem snagging flies, though.

[pathaws]

I go with the fingerless type with the fold over mittens, they occassionally snag a fly but not too bad and for a cold day it is great to be able to pull them over the fingertips and warm up. They have to be thinsulate or they are just not as warm and if they don't come with a button hole in the thumb then cut one. It allows your thumb to be in the glove and warm, yet you can just pop it out to tie knots etc. This is much better than having your thumb exposed and numb from a glove with no tip on the thumb. I tyr to tough out cold weather, but on real cold days these gloves are a must.